Tom Chilton facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Tom Chilton
Chilton at the 2014 FIA WTCC Race of Belgium
Nationality	British
Born	(1985-03-15) 15 March 1985 (age 40) Reigate, Surrey, England
Related to	Max Chilton (brother)
BTCC career
Debut season	2002
Current team	Team VERTU
Car no.	3
Former teams	Ciceley Motorsport BTC Racing Team Shredded Wheat Racing Power Maxed Racing Arena Motorsport Team Halfords VX Racing Barwell Motorsport
Starts	518 (523 entries)
Wins	17
Podiums	66
Poles	10
Fastest laps	14
Best finish	3rd in 2018
Previous series
2012–2017 2005, 2007 2005, 2007 2000–01	WTCC ALMS Le Mans Series T Cars
Championship titles
2017 2010	WTCC Independents' Trophy BTCC Independents' Trophy

Thomas James Chilton (born March 15, 1985) is a British professional racing driver. He is known for competing in touring car racing events. Currently, he drives for Team VERTU in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). His younger brother, Max Chilton, is also a racing driver.

Tom Chilton's Racing Journey

Early Life and First Races

Tom Chilton was born in Reigate, England. He started racing at a young age. In 1999 and 2000, he competed in the BRSCC T Cars Championship. He then won the BRSCC Saloon Car winter championship in 2001.

British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) Adventures

Starting Young with Barwell Motorsport (2002)

Chilton driving for VX Racing at Brands Hatch in the 2006 BTCC season

In 2002, Tom joined the BTCC, racing a Vauxhall Astra Coupé for Barwell Motorsport. He was only 17 years old, making him the youngest driver in the series at that time. Even though he was new, he showed great speed. He finished 15th overall and 5th in the Independents' Cup, which is a special award for drivers not supported by big car manufacturers.

Racing with Arena Motorsport (2003–2005)

Chilton driving for VX Racing at Oulton Park during the 2007 BTCC season

In 2003, Tom drove a Honda Civic Type-R for the Honda Racing team. He finished 9th overall. When Honda stopped their direct support in 2004, Tom continued with Arena Motorsport. He won his first BTCC race at Silverstone, becoming the youngest winner ever in the series. He won another race later that year at Donington.

In 2005, Tom planned to race in the DTM series, but it didn't work out. He rejoined the BTCC and also raced in endurance series like the ALMS and LMS. He won races in both ALMS and LMS. Even though he missed some BTCC races, he still finished 5th overall.

Time with VX Racing (2006–2007)

Chilton competing in the final round of the 2004 season at Donington Park.

VX Racing signed Tom for the 2006 season to drive a Vauxhall Astra. It was a tough year for Vauxhall, and Tom didn't win any races, finishing 7th overall. He stayed with Vauxhall in 2007 but decided to leave the team for 2008.

Joining Team Halfords (2008)

In 2008, Tom moved to Team Halfords. He won his first race since 2005 at Brands Hatch, securing 10th place in the championship.

Team Aon Years (2009–2011)

Chilton negotiating the chicane at Snetterton in 2008

Tom returned to Arena Motorsport in 2009, racing a Ford Focus ST under the Team Aon name. He spent much of the year helping to improve the car. In 2010, the car became much faster. Tom won two races at Silverstone and earned the Independents' Trophy. This award goes to the best privateer driver, meaning they are not part of a big factory team.

For 2011, the team developed a new Ford Focus car. Tom took pole position (starting first) at Knockhill and won the first race there. He also won the final race of the season at Silverstone, finishing 7th overall.

Back with Power Maxed Racing (2017)

Chilton, at the Knockhill round of the 2017 British Touring Car Championship

After five years away, Tom came back to the BTCC in 2017 with Power Maxed Racing, driving a Vauxhall Astra. He finished third in a race at Brands Hatch after starting from pole position.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing (2018-2019)

On December 20, 2017, Tom decided to focus fully on his BTCC career. He joined Motorbase Performance, a team that had won the Independents' title in 2016. They raced as Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher. Tom won his first race since 2011 at Knockhill, starting from pole in the third race.

BTC Racing (2020)

In 2020, Tom joined the BTC Racing team. He achieved a best finish of 2nd place at Thruxton. He ended the season 10th in the Driver's Championship and 4th in the Independent Driver's Championship.

Ciceley Motorsport (2021)

On January 12, 2021, Ciceley Motorsport announced that Tom Chilton would be joining their team for the 2021 season.

Excelr8 Motorsport (2022-Present)

Chilton driving at Thruxton during the 2022 British Touring Car Championship.

In 2022, Tom joined Excelr8 Motorsport, driving a Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance. He continued with them in 2023, winning a race at Donington Park. In 2024, he secured another win at Croft Circuit. As of July 2025, he is still racing for Team VERTU (Excelr8 Motorsport) and has already won a race at Donington Park.

World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Experience

Team Aon in WTCC (2012)

Chilton driving for Team Aon at the 2012 FIA WTCC Race of Japan

Tom made his debut in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in 2012 with Arena Motorsport. He scored his first points for Ford in Morocco, finishing seventh. He faced some challenges, including a grid penalty for a collision and an engine change. He finished 19th in the drivers' standings. After the season, Arena Motorsport stopped their WTCC program.

Success with RML (2013)

Chilton competing in the 2013 World Touring Car Championship

For the 2013 season, Tom moved to RML, driving a Chevrolet Cruze. He finished second in the first race in Italy. He then achieved his first WTCC pole position and race win in the United States. He won another race in China, finishing 5th overall in the championship.

ROAL Motorsport (2014–2015)

Chilton competing in the 2014 World Touring Car Championship

In 2014, Tom joined ROAL Motorsport, driving a new Chevrolet Cruze. He took pole position, the fastest lap, and victory in the first race in Beijing. This made him the only non-Citroen driver to win a first race that year. He finished 8th in the season and continued with ROAL Motorsport in 2015.

Sébastien Loeb Racing (2016–2017)

In 2016, Tom raced a Citroën for Sébastien Loeb Racing. He won a race in Argentina and achieved six podium finishes (top three results). He finished second in the Independents' standings.

Tom continued with Sébastien Loeb Racing in 2017. He won three races that season in Monza, Motegi, and Losail. When he won in Losail, he also claimed the Independents' title. Overall, he finished 3rd in the championship, which was a fantastic achievement. This was the last season under the "World Championship" name before it changed to the World Touring Car Cup.

TV Appearances

Tom Chilton has appeared on the popular car show Top Gear several times. He participated in fun races, like a people carrier race and a Toyota Aygo football match. He also raced a Chevrolet motorhome and a Leyland Olympian bus. In one episode, he raced against Jeremy Clarkson in a BMW M3. He even raced a taxi cab against Richard Hammond.

In 2009, he was in a music video for singer-songwriter Andy J Gallagher. Tom also appeared on the ITV game show Take Me Out.

Racing Records

Summary of Racing Career

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2000	T Cars	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	3rd
2001	T Cars	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	3rd
2002	British Touring Car Championship	Barwell Motorsport	20	0	0	0	1	14	15th
2003	British Touring Car Championship	Honda Racing	17	0	0	0	1	70	9th
2004	British Touring Car Championship	Team Honda	30	2	0	0	5	116	9th
2005	British Touring Car Championship	Arena Motorsport	24	4	2	2	9	175	5th
	American Le Mans Series - LMP1	Zytek Motorsport	3	1	1	0	1	33	8th
	Le Mans Endurance Series	Zytek Motorsport	4	1	0	0	1	22	6th
2006	British Touring Car Championship	VX Racing	30	0	1	2	5	139	7th
2007	British Touring Car Championship	VX Racing	30	0	1	3	6	130	9th
	Le Mans Series - LMP1	Arena Motorsport	2	0	0	0	0	7	12th
	American Le Mans Series - LMP1	Arena International Motorsport	2	0	0	0	0	25	16th
	24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP1	Arena Motorsports International	0	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNS
2008	British Touring Car Championship	Team Halfords	30	1	0	0	4	107	10th
2009	British Touring Car Championship	Team Aon	29	0	1	0	3	55	13th
2010	British Touring Car Championship	Team Aon	30	3	4	3	7	191	5th
2011	British Touring Car Championship	Team Aon	30	2	1	1	3	135	7th
2012	World Touring Car Championship	Team Aon	24	0	0	0	0	7	22nd
2013	World Touring Car Championship	RML	24	2	1	3	6	213	5th
2014	World Touring Car Championship	ROAL Motorsport	23	1	1	1	2	150	8th
2015	World Touring Car Championship	ROAL Motorsport	22	0	0	0	1	96	11th
2015	24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP4T	Rotek Racing GmbH	1	0	1	0	0	N/A	DNF
2016	World Touring Car Championship	Sébastien Loeb Racing	22	1	0	1	6	163	8th
2017	World Touring Car Championship	Sébastien Loeb Racing	20	3	0	2	6	248.5	3rd
2017	British Touring Car Championship	Power Maxed Racing	27	0	0	1	1	100	15th
2018	British Touring Car Championship	Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher	30	1	0	3	6	266	3rd
2019	British Touring Car Championship	Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher	30	1	0	0	5	200	10th
2020	British Touring Car Championship	BTC Racing	27	0	0	0	3	184	10th
2021	British Touring Car Championship	Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport	30	0	0	1	0	64	19th
2022	British Touring Car Championship	Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com	28	0	0	1	0	83	15th
2023	British Touring Car Championship	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	30	1	0	0	1	97	14th
2024	British Touring Car Championship	Team Bristol Street Motors	29	1	0	0	3	187	10th
2025	British Touring Car Championship	Team VERTU	15	1	0	2	3	114	7th*

^* Season still in progress.

Complete British Touring Car Championship Results

(key) Races in bold mean pole position (starting first). Races in italics mean fastest lap. * means the driver led the race for at least one lap.

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	Pen.	Pos	Points
2002	Barwell Motorsport	Vauxhall Astra Coupé	T	BRH 1 ovr:3 cls:3	BRH 2 Ret	OUL 1 ovr:11 cls:11	OUL 2 ovr:9 cls:9	THR 1 ovr:13 cls:13	THR 2 Ret	SIL 1 ovr:11 cls:11	SIL 2 Ret	MON 1 ovr:9 cls:9	MON 2 Ret	CRO 1 Ret	CRO 2 Ret	SNE 1 Ret	SNE 2 ovr:8* cls:8	KNO 1 ovr:10 cls:10	KNO 2 ovr:7 cls:7	BRH 1 ovr:12 cls:12	BRH 2 ovr:10 cls:10	DON 1 ovr:12 cls:12	DON 2 Ret											−10	15th	14
2003	Honda Racing	Honda Civic Type-R	T	MON 1 Ret	MON 2 ovr:3 cls:3	BRH 1 DNS	BRH 2 DNS	THR 1 ovr:7 cls:7	THR 2 ovr:10 cls:10	SIL 1 ovr:5 cls:5	SIL 2 ovr:6 cls:6	ROC 1 ovr:4 cls:4	ROC 2 ovr:7 cls:7	CRO 1 ovr:7 cls:7	CRO 2 ovr:12 cls:12	SNE 1 ovr:6 cls:6	SNE 2 ovr:5 cls:5	BRH 1 ovr:8* cls:8	BRH 2 ovr:7 cls:7	DON 1 ovr:7 cls:7	DON 2 ovr:6 cls:6	OUL 1 Ret	OUL 2 DNS											9th	70
2004	Team Honda	Honda Civic Type-R		THR 1 10	THR 2 Ret	THR 3 10	BRH 1 3	BRH 2 6	BRH 3 6	SIL 1 18	SIL 2 10	SIL 3 1*	OUL 1 11	OUL 2 7	OUL 3 6	MON 1 7	MON 2 8	MON 3 5	CRO 1 19	CRO 2 9	CRO 3 7	KNO 1 2	KNO 2 Ret	KNO 3 Ret	BRH 1 6	BRH 2 13	BRH 3 8	SNE 1 3	SNE 2 10	SNE 3 12	DON 1 9	DON 2 1*	DON 3 12		9th	116
2005	Arena Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R		DON 1	DON 2	DON 3	THR 1 10*	THR 2 6	THR 3 Ret	BRH 1 7	BRH 2 NC	BRH 3 7	OUL 1 5	OUL 2 5	OUL 3 1*	CRO 1 6	CRO 2 3	CRO 3 9	MON 1 9	MON 2 8*	MON 3 2*	SNE 1 1*	SNE 2 1*	SNE 3 7	KNO 1 5	KNO 2 3	KNO 3 3	SIL 1 1*	SIL 2 8*	SIL 3 3	BRH 1	BRH 2	BRH 3		5th	175
2006	VX Racing	Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch		BRH 1 2*	BRH 2 7	BRH 3 3*	MON 1 6	MON 2 Ret	MON 3 9	OUL 1 9	OUL 2 7	OUL 3 3*	THR 1 4	THR 2 9	THR 3 8	CRO 1 Ret	CRO 2 8	CRO 3 6	DON 1 5	DON 2 Ret	DON 3 6	SNE 1 Ret	SNE 2 7	SNE 3 3*	KNO 1 12	KNO 2 Ret	KNO 3 Ret	BRH 1 4	BRH 2 6	BRH 3 8*	SIL 1 3	SIL 2 Ret	SIL 3 3		7th	139
2007	VX Racing	Vauxhall Vectra		BRH 1 6	BRH 2 3	BRH 3 7	ROC 1 2	ROC 2 3	ROC 3 4	THR 1 6	THR 2 3	THR 3 8	CRO 1 8	CRO 2 Ret	CRO 3 7	OUL 1 6	OUL 2 9	OUL 3 6	DON 1 15	DON 2 12	DON 3 7	SNE 1 3	SNE 2 8	SNE 3 8	BRH 1 6	BRH 2 Ret	BRH 3 9	KNO 1 Ret	KNO 2 11	KNO 3 Ret	THR 1 Ret*	THR 2 9	THR 3 3		9th	130
2008	Team Halfords	Honda Civic		BRH 1 9	BRH 2 Ret	BRH 3 7	ROC 1 8	ROC 2 7	ROC 3 2	DON 1 Ret	DON 2 5	DON 3 5	THR 1 7	THR 2 12	THR 3 Ret	CRO 1 Ret	CRO 2 14	CRO 3 4	SNE 1 3	SNE 2 15	SNE 3 7	OUL 1 2	OUL 2 11	OUL 3 Ret	KNO 1 10	KNO 2 11	KNO 3 6	SIL 1 12	SIL 2 Ret	SIL 3 9	BRH 1 8	BRH<2 6	BRH<3 1*		10th	107
2009	Team Aon	Ford Focus ST		BRH<1 11	BRH<2 14	BRH<3 11	THR<1 15	THR<2 17	THR<3 Ret	DON<1 12	DON<2 17	DON<3 9	OUL<1 13	OUL<2 12	OUL<3 Ret	CRO<1 Ret	CRO<2 DNS	CRO<3 10	SNE<1 11	SNE<2 Ret	SNE<3 Ret	KNO<1 11	KNO<2 11	KNO<3 8	SIL<1 11	SIL<2 5	SIL<3 Ret	ROC<1 18	ROC<2 9	ROC<3 3*	BRH<1 2*	BRH<2 6*	BRH<3 3		13th	55
2010	Team Aon	Ford Focus ST LPG		THR<1 Ret	THR<2 Ret	THR<3 8	ROC<1 11	ROC<2 6	ROC<3 Ret	BRH<1 1*	BRH<2 DSQ	BRH<3 6	OUL<1 5	OUL<2 6	OUL<3 4	CRO<1 18	CRO<2 11	CRO<3 4	SNE<1 3	SNE<2 2	SNE<3 4	SIL<1 1*	SIL<2 1*	SIL<3 6	KNO<1 5	KNO<2 4	KNO<3 10	DON<1 2	DON<2 4	DON<3 5	BRH<1 7	BRH<2 5	BRH<3 3		5th	191
2011	Team Aon	Ford Focus		BRH<1 3	BRH<2 8	BRH<3 8	DON<1 4	DON<2 4	DON<3 Ret	THR<1 4	THR<2 4	THR<3 Ret	OUL<1 17	OUL<2 10	OUL<3 7	CRO<1 7	CRO<2 6	CRO<3 9	SNE<1 9	SNE<2 12	SNE<3 13	KNO<1 1*	KNO<2 4*	KNO<3 6	ROC<1 13	ROC<2 11	ROC<3 18	BRH<1 7	BRH<2 5	BRH<3 4	SIL<1 12	SIL<2 8	SIL<3 1*		7th	135
2017	Power Maxed Racing	Vauxhall Astra		BRH<1 10	BRH<2 8	BRH<3 3	DON<1 Ret	DON<2 10	DON<3 14	THR<1 14	THR<2 12	THR<3 10	OUL<1 19	OUL<2 24	OUL<3 19	CRO<1 9	CRO<2 Ret	CRO<3 20	SNE<1 10	SNE<2 12	SNE<3 10	KNO<1 16	KNO<2 12	KNO<3 18	ROC<1 11	ROC<2 16	ROC<3 24	SIL<1	SIL<2	SIL<3	BRH<1 5	BRH<2 7	BRH<3 15		15th	100
2018	Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher	Ford Focus RS		BRH<1 5	BRH<2 28	BRH<3 27	DON<1 29	DON<2 10	DON<3 9	THR<1 5	THR<2 9	THR<3 11	OUL<1 2	OUL<2 3*	OUL<3 7	CRO<1 15	CRO<2 6	CRO<3 2	SNE<1 13	SNE<2 11	SNE<3 5	ROC<1 3	ROC<2 10	ROC<3 Ret	KNO<1 12	KNO<2 6	KNO<3 1*	SIL<1 2	SIL<2 13	SIL<3 6	BRH<1 9	BRH<2 6	BRH<3 4		3rd	266
2019	Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher	Ford Focus RS		BRH<1 3	BRH<2 9	BRH<3 2*	DON<1 8	DON<2 4	DON<3 12	THR<1 18	THR<2 25	THR<3 13	CRO<1 3	CRO<2 9	CRO<3 1*	OUL<1 12	OUL<2 Ret	OUL<3 12	SNE<1 Ret	SNE<2 17	SNE<3 12	THR<1 22	THR<2 12	THR<3 22	KNO<1 7	KNO<2 5	KNO<3 7	SIL<1 9	SIL<2 20	SIL<3 5	BRH<1 3	BRH<2 5	BRH<3 Ret		10th	200
2020	BTC Racing	Honda Civic Type R (FK8)		DON<1 10	DON<2 13	DON<3 12	BRH<1 5	BRH<2 Ret	BRH<3 8	OUL<1 5	OUL<2 8	OUL<3 5	KNO<1 11	KNO<2 7	KNO<3 3	THR<1 7	THR<2 7	THR<3 2	SIL<1 15	SIL<2 11	SIL<3 9	CRO<1 6	CRO<2 6	CRO<3 3	SNE<1 16	SNE<2 16	SNE<3 17	BRH<1 12	BRH<2 18*	BRH<3 11					10th	184
2021	Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport	BMW 330i M Sport		THR<1 14	THR<2 Ret	THR<3 13	SNE<1 21	SNE<2 Ret	SNE<3 19	BRH<1 19	BRH<2 13	BRH<3 18	OUL<1 17	OUL<2 13	OUL<3 9	KNO<1 12	KNO<2 25	KNO<3 23	THR<1 14	THR<2 17	THR<3 17	CRO<1 11	CRO<2 17	CRO<3 10	SIL<1 20	SIL<2 13	SIL<3 28	DON<1 19	DON<2 20	DON<3 18	BRH<1 9	BRH<2 8	BRH<3 6		19th	64
2022	Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance		DON<1 10	DON<2 22	DON<3 Ret	BRH<1 13	BRH<2 12	BRH<3 Ret*	THR<1 12	THR<2 15	THR<3 11	OUL<1 Ret	OUL<2 Ret	OUL<3 20	CRO<1 10	CRO<2 9	CRO<3 9	KNO<1 11	KNO<2 10	KNO<3 9	SNE<1 Ret	SNE<2 DNS	SNE<3 DNS	THR<1 28	THR<2 22	THR<3 16	SIL<1 10	SIL<2 12	SIL<3 7	BRH<1 16	BRH<2 14	BRH<3 18		15th	83
2023	Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance		DON<1 15	DON<2 1*	DON<3 8	BRH<1 15	BRH<2 12	BRH<3 7	SNE<1 24	SNE<2 15	SNE<3 11	THR<1 12	THR<2 13	THR<3 25	OUL<1 12	OUL<2 11	OUL<3 12	CRO<1 15	CRO<2 10	CRO<3 Ret	KNO<1 DSQ	KNO<2 16	KNO<3 20	DON<1 10	DON<2 11	DON<3 12	SIL<1 13	SIL<2 16	SIL<3 Ret	BRH<1 13	BRH<2 12	BRH<3 Ret	–5	14th	97
2024	Team Bristol Street Motors	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance		DON<1 11	DON<2 Ret	DON<3 11	BRH<1 6	BRH<2 6	BRH<3 2	SNE<1 15	SNE<2 5	SNE<3 6	THR<1 6	THR<2 11	THR<3 Ret	OUL<1 6	OUL<2 Ret	OUL<3 DNS	CRO<1 9	CRO<2 8	CRO<3 1*	KNO<1 14	KNO<2 9	KNO<3 3	DON<1 16	DON<2 12	DON<3 16	SIL<1 7	SIL<2 Ret	SIL<3 12	BRH<1 9	BRH<2 9	BRH<3 14		10th	187
2025	Team VERTU	Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance		DON<1 7	DON<2 6	DON<3 1*	BRH<1 22	BRH<2 12	BRH<3 7	SNE<1 7	SNE<2 3	SNE<3 18	THR<1 15	THR<2 Ret	THR<3 8	OUL<1 5	OUL<2 3	OUL<3 Ret	CRO<1	CRO<2	CRO<3	KNO<1	KNO<2	KNO<3	DON<1	DON<2	DON<3	SIL<1	SIL<2<\|}}	SIL<3	BRH<1	BRH<2	BRH<3		7th*	114*